


Road to the End, Volume 4

by digitaleva



Series: Road to the End [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Multi, Original Character(s), Other, Team COLD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-08-30 04:09:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8517964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaleva/pseuds/digitaleva
Summary: 8 months have passed since the end of Volume 3. Team RWBY is back at Beacon, this time, as full fledged Huntresses. A memorial tournament is gearing up and getting under way as well, but things aren't going to stay as they are for long.





	1. Beacon Relit

"Ruby Rose, wake up!"

Weiss' tone was beyond infuriated. Since they had been back, Ruby had been up late working on something, which meant that she was sleeping in late, as opposed to waking up with her team.

"Weiss, it's still early....."

"When did you get to bed?"

"6. Now please be quiet."

Yang walked over to where Weiss was standing with her arms at her side and placed a hand on the heiress' shoulder.

"Come on, Weiss. Let her sleep. Its not like we have classes any more."

"True," the white haired human said, her voice wavering slightly, "but we have to be prepared for the memorial tournament. There are more and more people showing up for it each day."

"Just... hurp.... let her rest, please. And if you have to be loud, take it outside...."

Both women turned to face their Faunus team member.

"Are you...."

"...okay?"

Blake rolled over, holding her abdomen as she did, a moan passing her lips.

"I'll... I'll be fine. You two go practice."

"Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yeah. Yang's right. You have been like this for a week. You should see a doctor."

"Uh-huh. I'll go do that. After I take a nap. Now please, leave."

Reluctantly accepting her answer, both women left the room, leaving a seemingly sick Faunus alone with their unconscious leader.

Down by the docks, Caos and Dante were unceremoniously directing incoming visitors to their lodging.

"Yes," the blonde said, "the campus is safe. There is nothing to worry about."

"No, we aren't using THAT stadium again. It is back in Vytal for repairs."

Both of them were starting to get irritated at the seemingly repetitive questions coming from the crowd, and, naturally, were relieved when Taiyang and Glynda walked up.

"Please let us out of this..."

"This is the last load, Professor Volcanus," Glynda said in her matter-of-fact tone. "Please finish up here, then you can go."

"Besides, it can't be that.... welcome to Beacon.... hard," Taiyang's conversations were being torn in multiple directions at once, as almost every arrival wanted to meet the new headmaster of Beacon Academy.

Once the airship emptied, the quartet walked away from the docks.

"I seriously wish I wasn't in the position...." the blonde hung his head as he walked. Positions like this were outside of his comfort zone, and it was showing.

"For what it's worth, Tai, you're doing a great job."

All of them jumped as Qrow opened his mouth.

"Qrow Branwen! When did you get here!?" Glynda's tolerance for the drunk's antics was in short supply.

"Relax, Glynda. Just got in. Raven, too. We wouldn't miss a chance for a rematch."

"Mr. Branwen, you are lucky that this is an expositional tournament, and not like the one for the Vytal Festival. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have entertained the idea of being put into the bracket."

"Glynda," Taiyang looked at his coworker and impromptu administrative assistant, "I'm going to go speak with the rest of my team."

"But you..."

"Let him go, ma'am. I'll take care of whatever needs to be done." Caos' assertion would have been out of line, if it hadn't been for her having been assigned to Beacon in a somewhat administrative capacity.

"And I've got a class. I'll catch up with you two later!"

Dante split off and jogged towards his classroom, a somewhat open-air forge. There was a roof, and a few walls, but it was mostly open, as he mentored on weapons upkeep. He wasn't surprised to find Yang there, working on maintaining not only her weapon, but her right arm.

"Ruby teach you all that?"

"Nope."

"Blake?"

"Nope. Winter." The blonde woman was bent over the table, the outer shell of the arm completely removed, exposing the complex mechanical innards to the world. As she worked, more and more students gathered around her, many interested in the arm, with a few interested in other things about her.

"If you are all here to see this done, I can put up a camera, and project it for you."

"And if you're here to see me, back off, I'm not interested."

At this, several of the male students backed away, along with a couple of the females. It did confirm, for them at least, that the blonde was either single and not interested in relationships, or taken and definitely off limits.

Yang continued to work, the heat of the forge not bothering her one bit. She only stopped to look up when a new student managed to stand in such a way as to block her light almost completely. Slamming the screwdriver she was using on the table, she jumped to her feet.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!?"

She shot out a hand and latched the appendage onto the back of the Faunus' collar, whipping him down onto a bench.

He stared back up at her, his eyes seemingly blank.

"You want to let go?"

The blonde human stared him down before a smaller hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Please let him go. My brother didn't mean anything by it. He just... didn't notice that he was in your way."

Yang released her grip and the Faunus got back up and moved. His shadow no longer in the way, Yang returned to her work, reattaching the parts she had disconnected. Once completed, she brushed the exterior plates into her bag and stood to leave.

"Not going to finish it here?"

"Nope."

"Back in your room?"

"Yup."

"Say hi to Ruby for me, if she's conscious."

"Yup."

She then turned and left, leaving Dante perplexed as to her one word answers and moodiness.

In the headmaster's office, the members of Team STRQ were having a discussion.

"And you dragged me back to this place for, what, exactly?"

"Calm down, Raven. You don't need to be mad."

"Mad, Tai? Mad? I'll show you mad!" She drew her sword and swung, cleaving his desk cleanly down the middle.

"Raven! Enough!"

"You shut your damn mouth, Qrow!"

"All three of you, KNOCK IT OFF!"

Glynda's entrance was heralded by the desk, which had been sitting with its halves at 45 degree angles, returning to its former self.

"You are all here because of the potential for a rematch against a team you all fought when you were students here."

"Fine. I leave when this whole.... thing," Raven hissed out the word, "is over. Are we done here?"

Taiyang motioned towards the door, and his former lover stormed out.

"She's... been like that."

"Qrow, if you value continuing to speak, shut up." Glynda was having none of the tomfoolery.

"Your whole team is a disorganized mess. I thought I'd have to worry about Dante, Caos, and Lapis. But no. I have to worry about our own Alumni destroying the place."

"She..."

"I know, Tai. I know. She's been moody since we retook the school. It may have something to do with there not being enough of a challenge now. I'm not sure. And yes, Qrow, the bracket is arranged so that you can rematch them, so don't ask about it."


	2. Round 1

In the new combat arena, which was unintentionally created by Cinder during the assault on the school, students and civilians were gathered, watching the fights. Even though they knew that no trophy would be handed out, they still watched all the same, as the remaining Huntsmen and Huntresses from around the world pitted themselves against targets both mobile and stationary, as well as each other.

The crowd was especially loud for this match, as it was two teams who had participated in the reclamation of the school.

Early on, Ruby and May had taken up positions on the high ground, and were gently harassing their opponents with the occasional bullet. That is, of course, until Weiss was almost hit with Brawnz' weapon, and the scythe-user was there to deliver a point-blank shot into his gut, sending the boy across the field and into the barrier, bringing his team strength down by one, as he was the victim of a double elimination.

As for Yang, it hadn't taken Nolan long to recognize that she had a mechanical arm, and the blonde was taking shock after shock through the metal appendage. It was thanks to a timely deflection of one of Roy's circular saws by Blake that he was relieved of his weapon, giving the blonde the chance she needed to take a shot, sending his body careening across the battlefield, and into his team mate, knocking Roy out by Aura level.

It wasn't much longer before May and Nolan were removed simultaneously, as they became pseudo ice sculptures thanks to Weiss.

As the crowd dissipated for a while, to allow the stadium to be repaired, cleaned, and reset for the next match, Ruby wandered off towards where Dante was standing.

"You're up next?"

"Nope."

"Then who?"

"Your uncle."

Ruby's eyes grew wide as she thought of her uncle in the arena.

"Who are they up against? Do you know? Huh?"

The older male shrugged as he motioned towards the exit.

"Not a clue. I can only hope that they're good. I still remember the last time my team fought them."

He looked over at her, his expression changing.

"S-sorry about that. I mean, I know about your mother and all..."

"It's fine. What was it like?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fighting against my mom. What was it like?"

"She was amazing. We won, but only because Obsidian... gave up his position in the doubles... to create a double knockout," his voice drifted out momentarily as he remembered the life he had unintentionally helped cut short.

He shook his head, forcing the memories to the back. Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on them. Not when the woman standing before him was the spitting image of his former opponent.

"Wanna get out of here for a while?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna go meet up with Weiss for a bit. She said we had to talk about something, so I'm not entirely sure what's going on."

Ruby zipped away, her ever present cloak tailing behind her, further cementing the image that this was definitely the daughter of Summer Rose in Dante's head. Smiling slightly at the thought that he had the fortune to fight along side her, he turned the opposite direction and headed off towards the ballroom, where he would spend the time with his team members before returning later in the day.

Several hours later, and the crowds returned, all to see the next match. To their surprise, only seven combatants entered the ring.

Qrow looked around at the crowd, his eyes settling momentarily on his nieces. His attention then shifted to his team mates, catching Taiyang adjusting his greaves and gauntlets again, and over at Raven, who was double checking the rotational mechanism a final time. Turning his attention to the group across from them, he smirked.

"Want us to go easy on you, old man," Coco inquired, pulling her sunglasses down a bit with her index finger.

"Watch it, Miss Runway, or your mouth will write a check your body can't cash," the scythe master shot back, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back along his head.

The two smirked and fist bumped before returning to their teams.

"What was that all about, Qrow?"

"Don't worry, Tai. We've got a match to win."

"You better not have made this harder for us, you drunk idiot."

Qrow shot his sister a glare at this.

"Let's just show them how we did things back then. Oh, and Raven," he turned to his sister, "She's got a minigun."

As soon as he said this, the buzzer sounded and the match began, a hail of dust rounds forcing them to split up, with Raven rapidly circling the arena to make it to where she could utilize her speed to take out the immediate threat, if she hadn't been stopped by a younger male with burning red hair.

"Oh, this'll be fun."

The two traded blow after blow, their tempo increasing to almost inhuman levels, as they bounded off of the borders of the arena and whatever terrain they could to try and gain the upper hand. This continued until Raven, smirking, ducked, allowing Fox to fly over her head and headlong into the ground, sending his aura dangerously low. A single kick from the older woman was all it took to remove him from the fight, making it a 3v3 match.

Qrow and Yatsuhashi were busy trading blows, while Taiyang dealt with something he hadn't been prepared for.

The young Faunus he had squared off with was utilizing his own daughter's weapon against him. He was dumbfounded until she slipped up, giving him his chance. He rushed in, and delivered a right hook that would have even knocked out the toughest member of a street gang, following it up with a flurry of kicks and sweeps, several of which suddenly failed to connect, but were blocked by a large arm holding a sword. Taken by surprise, he failed to react in time and was thrown across the arena, where he collided with Raven, who picked him up and tossed him back at the Faunus girl.

Velvet, unprepared for the suddenly airborne Headmaster, was knocked to the ground, her weapon sparking from the force of the impact. Quickly undoing the belt it hung from, she rolled away just as it shorted out and started to burn.

"'And Velvet Scarletina is disarmed!'"

"Don't count me out just yet," she said under her breath, and launched herself at the blonde human, who took a flying kick to the face.

"'But Taiyang Xiao Long is hit with the rebound! Knock out by Aura Level!'"

Velvet, pleased with her actions, was shocked when she was suddenly tossed around like a rag doll, as Qrow, having broken away from Yatsuhashi, came around, swinging for the bleachers. With a final shot from the shotgun form of his weapon, she was out, having been pushed out of the ring.

Raven, meanwhile had managed to take out Coco's ability to fight, as she was inside the heavy gunner's defensive zone, and her weapon's handbag form lacked the range and power to effectively block the older woman's bladed strikes. With a single kick, she was out, followed closely by Yatsuhashi, both on Aura level.

Qrow meandered over to his sister, and the siblings tapped their forearms together before heading off towards the exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I know that it seems silly to start off a volume of a RWBY story similarly to how Volume 3 of the official canon did, but it made sense to show the world that the varying Academies were willing to work together and foster cooperation once more, rather than be divided.
> 
> Also, it was an excuse for me to force myself to write more fight scenes.


	3. In Memoriam

"It's been almost 24 years, you know."

"I know, Caos. I know."

"Still hurts?"

"Yeah. I was... I was supposed to protect him. To help him. Work together, ya know?"

"We all screwed up. I can work around your style. He was more rigid."

Caos and Dante were sitting outside of earshot of everybody, on a bench near the academy's amphitheater, talking about things that happened years ago. While the time had passed by for others, that solitary day had been one that was burned into their minds forever.

The loss of their fourth team member continued to haunt them. There was no avoiding it. Seeing their friend tossed around and mangled as he was would probably continue to haunt each of them until they died.

They stopped for a moment as a pair of shadows blocked the sun. Not looking up, they changed topics.

"Need something?"

"Have you seen the members of Team RWBY?" The voice inquiring was calm and collected, almost sounding familiar to the two.

"In their lodging. That way," Caos pointed towards the building where Team RWBY was residing.

"Thank you," the voice said. "Come on, let's go see them."

"Right behind you!" A female voice followed up, this one was much more energetic in terms of tone.

The pair turned around the corner just as it dawned on Dante who they had spoken with. His head shot up as his eyes widened. "I thought they left!"

Caos was slightly confused.

"Thought who left?"

"Never mind," the swordsman said, returning his scroll to his pocket. "Team RWBY will like the surprise. Where were we?"

"Talking about that day."

Over in the gardens, Lapis was sitting under a tree, staring out across the campus. If this had been then, she wouldn't have been alone. He would have been there.

"24 years, 'sid. 24 years since then. You really did hold us together."

She wiped a small tear away as she saw the silhouettes of Weiss and Ruby walking through the gardens. As they walked, she watched them, sitting in silence. However, she had to rise and leave as the younger woman pulled the older in towards her, planting a kiss on her lips.

24 years, and she still wasn't over him. He had been with her since their second year at Atlas, and she had initially been afraid of their relationship becoming public knowledge, but it burst out during the Vytal Festival, when they had beaten Team STRQ. He had picked her up, his muscular arms easily encompassing her as he lifted her, planting a kiss on her that she could still remember.

Three months later, it was all over. And then the memories of the time surrounding his funeral flooded her thoughts. So she ran. She would have kept running if she hadn't encountered another pair of hunters, a human and a Faunus.

"S-sorry...." she said, as she rubbed her backside during her rise from the ground.

"No harm done...." The human said, his voice more laid back, almost familiar. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Honey, do you have to do that to everybody you meet?"

"Lil, We weren't exactly watching where we were going either."

"I... I'm Lapis."

"Nero."

Lapis raised her eyes to meet Nero's, and she was surprised. He looked a lot like Dante.

"You... you look like...."

"My cousin? Yeah. Dante and I look similar. Our mothers were twins. Oh," he was shocked for a moment as he became embarrassed. "I didn't introduce you. This is my wife, Lilly."

"Your... wife?"

"Yup!" Lilly smiled brightly. Our families may not like it, but we're happy," she said before looking around. "Is... Is Dante here? I heard he's a teacher."

"Yeah. He's here... somewhere. I... I should go find them. We have a match coming up soon."

"Good luck," Nero said, adjusting his hair, which was flying loose. "We'll be cheering for you!"

Lapis rushed off to find the rest of her team, her confidence somewhat back to normal levels.

Over at the dormitories, the pair had arrived and were standing outside of Team RWBY's door.

"Think they'll be happy to see us?"

"Only one way to find out, silly!"

The woman reached forward and knocked a few times. Quick thuds were heard, followed by a muffled "Just a moment!" and an even less muffled, but more hissed "Hide! No. Not there!" Moments later, the door was opened by a slightly more disheveled looking than normal Yang.

She had to do a double take at the pair standing before her. Once she was certain she wasn't seeing a ghost, she turned her head into the room and hollered.

"Ruby! Weiss! Blake! You should see who's here!"

Returning her attention to the pair, she made the invitation. "Come on in!"

As they walked past, she sized them both up.

It had been a while since they'd seen Ren and Nora, but she was shocked at how little they had actually changed, save for their clothing. Ren's attire was more like that of a martial artist who was trying to adapt to the wild west, as he was now wearing a pair of denim bottoms with his usual green top. His hair was braided in the back now, which she chalked up to Nora having more free time than she knew what to do with.

As for Nora, she hadn't changed a whole lot, save for her moving slightly differently, which was something she was going to be certain to ask about later.

Blake stuck her head around the corner, the blanket wrapped around her body and the exhausted look on her face cluing her partner in to the fact that she was not going to be coming out any time soon. True to her word, she had gone to the doctor, who was furious that she had even gone to their first match in the tournament. So she simply nodded at their friends and then flopped back on the bed, where she proceeded to cough a few times before a rustle was heard as she reached for the freshly changed garbage bag and began to empty the contents of her stomach into it.

"Is she okay," Ren inquired.

"She'll be fine. Doc's pretty sure it's just a nasty bug. That's all. The rest of us just give her space and it's all good."

The sound of a door opening, followed by muffled padding of feet heralded Weiss and Ruby's exit from their shared bathroom, the pair having just gotten out of the shower.

"And I'm saying that we should see the match. I REALLY wanna see Uncle Qrow fighting against Professor Volcanus."

"Fine," Weiss relented. "You can go. I'll be here." 

"It won't be the same with... out... you... EEP!"

The younger woman's hand shot out and grabbed a blanket off her bed.

"What was that about?"

Ruby pointed behind her, and Weiss turned her head and immediately turned several shades of red simultaneously.

"Yang!" She screamed in a chastising tone. "Why did you not knock and tell us we had company!"

Hastily changing her tone, she glanced at Ren and Nora. 

"Be over in a bit. Just... Just need to get dressed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was delayed. I decided to take a week off to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.


	4. Downtime

"You remember when we considered calling ourselves 'ranger' or 'junior'?"

Ruby's inquiry to Ren was met with a smile from him, and a huge, toothy grin from Nora.

"You mean you tried to replace me!?"

Ruby looked shocked at Yang's outburst.

"Well, what did you exactly expect us to do? You were in the middle of your depressive moping, Blake was MIA, and Weiss was basically being held hostage by her father in Atlas!"

"And I did say that 'junior' is not a color."

Ren's counterargument went almost completely ignored, as Ruby and Yang were now embroiled in one of their famous 'debates'.

Weiss face palmed at her girlfriend's argument with her sister. She wouldn't tell Ruby, but she had willingly gone with her father after the fall to ensure that Blake would escape Beacon safely, and to guarantee that the Schnee Dust Company wouldn't pull support for activities in Vale. She looked at the younger woman, who was wearing a newer, cleaner version of the outfit she had been wearing when they had reunited, her trademark red cape having been repaired so it no longer sported the rips and tears of their long journey.

She excused herself after a momentary glance at the door revealed a paler than normal cat Faunus trying to get some attention.

"What's going on?"

"Weiss, no being mad, okay?"

"And just what, exactly, would I have to be mad about?"

"Well," Blake rubbed the back of her head, "I haven't been 100% truthful with you about what is going on with me."

"If it's about you and Sun, then I'm not worried. You'll both be great parents, you more-so than him, of course. But what about Yang? Does she know?"

"Oh, she knows. And she's hiding her own thing."

The former heiress looked slightly lost at her friend's comment.

"And that means, what, exactly?"

The bookworm rubbed her arm. She had been told what she was about to say on the condition that it didn't make it back to Ruby's ears. But this was Weiss. She wasn't one for idle gossip, right? She wouldn't dare tell Ruby....

"You have to promise me that you won't tell Ruby."

"Tell her what?"

"About ANY of what I'm about to say."

The white haired woman nodded her head in agreement and sat back. Something told her that this wasn't going to be a short story.

Back in the common area, Yang and Ruby were still going at it like a pair of political candidates at an un-moderated debate. Neither one was willing to back down, a trait they both shared with their father. However, the fight was beginning to gain volume and travel into the halls.

It was all fine until it reached the room at the end of the corridor. Inside of it, a pair of siblings were looking over their class load for the coming semester. And the boy was getting more and more frustrated at the sounds.

"They need to turn it down."

"Umbra, please, don't do anything rash."

"Lillian, I won't. I'm just going to insist on them lowering the volume."

He stood and headed towards the door, only to be stopped when his other team member Nickel, grabbed his arm.

"Let go, Nick," the Faunus demanded.

"Dude, drop it. I recognize those voices. And trust me: you do NOT want to barge into that room right now."

Wrenching his arm free from the Human's grip, Umbra ran a hand through his hair. Normally, the noise would have been a welcome distraction. But today, the rabbit Faunus was more concerned with memorizing everything he could about the campus, all in an effort to keep his twin sister safe.

He was almost out of the door when he was stopped by his sister suddenly clinging to his arm. Relenting, he turned around and went back to the map he was studying.

Back in Team RWBY's dorm, Weiss was losing patience. She had been basically given the run around by Blake on what was going on with Yang, but she had a pretty good, and graphic, idea of what had happened between her two team mates and the two testosterone fueled dorks known as Sun and Neptune.

"But he was all over me!"

"I know. But Weiss?"

"Yeah?"

"It wouldn't have worked out. Hell, Sun even called it off with me to spare us humiliation. I found out a week after about..."

"And Yang?"

"Same time."

"And you two still think that you'll be going out into the field like that!? No way!"

Blake sank down into her bed, her left hand absentmindedly coming to rest on her abdomen. She thought back to when the White Fang had invaded and taken control of Beacon. When Adam had run her though, she had been told by more than a few physicians that she would probably never be able to have children, so when she had found out, she was initially overjoyed that had happened. Now, however, she was beginning to regret the joy. The bouts of nausea were driving her insane, and she was wondering how her partner was dealing with them, or if she was even having them at all.

"Hello? Blake?"

The Faunus was snapped out of her musings when Weiss, in a new effort to get her attention, had crossed the room and was waving her hand in front of her friend's face.

"S-sorry, Weiss. I guess I spaced out."

The white-haired woman put her hands on her hips.

"You more than spaced out. You flat out checked out."

"How long?"

"About 6 minutes. Ruby and Yang even have stopped arguing."

"Oh we stopped, but we are by no means done," Ruby said almost sounding like Weiss.

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"I mean we'll finish it after we see the next match. Uncle Qrow is fighting in it, remember?"


	5. Rematch

"Are you even sure we can do this? They're younger than us, you drunk fool."

"Oh, I'm sure, Raven. I'm sure. We did it last time, remember?"

"Yeah, but we were all younger then."

"She's right, Qrow," Taiyang said, agreeing with his former lover. "We were much younger then, with fewer things to worry about. Now we're all older, and I'm honestly ready to drop out. Win or lose, I can't go on. Wouldn't be right."

"Tai, you worry too much. Besides, I wanna make this a good match. It's just for show, anyway, right?"

Qrow's usual attitude had returned, but there was something slightly different about it this time. Something hopeful. Almost as if the feigned happiness had been replaced with genuine enjoyment. And this concerned both his sister and friend.

"What are you planning, Qrow?"

"You'll see later. I promise. For now, let's just give 'em the show they all came to see."

His counterargument delivered, he picked up his weapon and stepped out towards the arena, where the crowd was waiting to see the next match.

On the opposite side of the arena, the members of Team C_LD were waiting, apprehension high due to them refighting a match that they remembered all too well. And they were well aware that they were both down one member, with Team STRQ having lost Summer after graduation, and them having lost Obsidian only a few months after their time in the tournament.

"You guys ready? They haven't changed one bit."

"Bring it on, hot head. I'm ready for this. I've been itching for a rematch against Taiyang Xiao Long for a while now."

"Watch it, LT. I'm not about to be taken out by Qrow Branwen any time soon."

"Is that a challenge, Dante?"

"Oh your bet it is, Caos."

"Raven won't be a pushover, but neither will Qrow," Lapis calm, analytical tone meant that she was definitely ready for the coming bout, and wasn't showing any signs of backing down.

The trio shot each other confident glances before stepping out to meet their opponents.

In the stands, the members of Team RWBY were joined by Ren and Nora.

"Your uncle seems determined to win this fight."

"Yeah. He can kick their butts no problem," Ruby responded, her confidence in her uncle's fighting ability unwavering.

Back in the arena, the two teams met and waited for the signal to start. The moment it did, they shot apart, the entire arena being themed on a ruins setting.

Within moments, the first two combatants clashed. The moment Lapis and Raven saw each other, they locked blades, the former having made a modification to hers, enabling it to extend out and into a curved blade, which she was using to her advantage to close and widen the distance, barely giving the dark-haired woman a moment to land a strike, even managing to send her flying through a piece of the terrain at one point, before rushing in and cracking the first of many dust blades.

Not far away, Caos and Taiyang had encountered each other, and were trading blows with an almost inhuman pace.

"You've been practicing."

"Watch it, or you're gonna be knocked out."

As he said, that he ducked, Dante's form having been sent flying through the air by Qrow, who followed soon after.

The two of them jumped from tier to tier on the rubble, even getting airborne at one point. They were neck and neck until an announcement came over the PA system.

"Raven Branwen has been eliminated by ring out!"

Sure enough, Yang's mother was just outside of the boundary of the arena, having been forced out by Lapis' alternating her weapon's form. She had misjudged the Faunus' next move, and had rushed headlong into a pommel bash, followed by a quick strike that had unbalanced her on the edge of the combat space. So she had fallen outside of the ring, and sat there, punching the ground.

She was soon joined by Caos, as the blonde male managed to get his hands on the end of Mach Driver and throw his opponent out of the ring, only to be shocked by a loud shout.

"Ooo! A double knockout!" 

Following Port's announcement, Oobleck chimed in. "Indeed it is! It is a rare occurrence that we see two fighters this equally matched!"

"Indeed! Would you care to explain further?"

"Why, yes! You see, the two were trading blows on a one to one basis, meaning that they were dealing damage to their respective Aura. They both dropped into the red before either one of them was completely aware!"

From the side, Caos began to notice something. Dante was growing more and more tired, and he hadn't used his semblance yet. However, with Qrow being the only one left, it was only a matter of time.

Lapis came around behind the scythe master in an attempt to ambush him. This was quickly stopped by his own blade, which he used to easily disarm her, only to duck moments later as a blade flew over his head, being caught easily by the Faunus.

"What the...!?"

"Lapis! Now!"

Dante and Lapis made a simultaneous rush at their opponent, both blades back, and the edge of Castor began to glow bright red.

"And Dante has activated his Semblance!"

"Quite right, Peter! He can heat up the leading edge of his weapons, allowing them to cut through virtually anything! Clever tactic he had, saving it until now!"

Qrow extended his weapon into its Scythe form and spun, sending Lapis and Dante in opposite directions, but not before a segment of the blade was cut off by Dante's weapon.

"And in a last minute victory, a double knockout! Dante Volcanus and Lapis Oceana are both eliminated by Aura level!"

"The winner is Team STRQ of Beacon!"

The arena sides dropped away as Qrow helped his opponents up.

"Pretty smart, Dante. Keep your semblance hidden until you absolutely need it."

"Not something I advertise, ya know?"

"And with good reason. You managed to destroy a part of my weapon, you know."

"I'll give you a hand with fixing it."

"Nah. I got it. But I do have one thing to do first."

Qrow then left his defeated opponents and his team as he walked away from the arena.


	6. Questions I

"WHAT!?"

Weiss was having immense difficulty believing what she was hearing. Her face conveyed this on multiple levels, her brain being wracked with confusion and bewilderment as she tried to parse the info that had just been handed to her by her sister. The younger Schnee was especially grateful that Winter couldn't see her face, as they were discussing recent events via a phone call.

It was the slack-jawed, stunned form of her girlfriend that greeted Ruby as she entered the room.

"Uh.... Weiss?"

No response.

"Weiiiissss......"

The stillness of her partner stunned the younger Huntress. She was unsure of what was being discussed prior to her arrival, but it had to be a big deal. Striding across the room, she reached the petrified Weiss and reached out a hand before stopping. The white haired woman had asked her before to not sneak up on her, so she retracted the appendage and began to turn and leave, guessing that some private matter was being discussed, and she would be let in on it when the shorter woman was ready to tell her.

She didn't get far before Weiss' smaller hand latched on at her wrist, halting her retreat.

"Weiss?"

"We need to talk."

Across the campus, Yang and Qrow were having a discussion. Or, what, to them would pass as a discussion. It was bordering on more of an argument, but, given the presence of another person there, they were deciding on calling it a heated debate.

"So.... how did it go?"

"Like you care?"

The two were egging each other on, with the first one to lose having to buy the other lunch.

"Oh you know I care!"

"Uh huh, sure. And you haven't told your father about it yet?"

The blonde woman was shocked at the charge. She knew her uncle wasn't going to pull any punches, but the blow came using information she had barely told anybody, and here they were, in public, with him potentially airing one of the biggest, as the news would call it, scandals ever to grace the campus. But she wasn't about to back down.

"Riiight. And you act like I haven't heard the two of you from across the lawn. Neither of you is quiet!"

"No fair, firecracker!"

"You opened the door to that one," was the calmer response from Blake, who was sitting on a nearby bench, refereeing the argument.

"Yeah, but...."

"She's right. We could hear you fairly well, even with...."

"Alright, alright. Please spare me the details. Last thing I need to think about is my niece doing...."

"Doing what!? What is she doing?"

"Nora!!!!"

The Ban Hammer Queen's arrival was followed by a shout from Ren, who, despite being in excellent shape, was having trouble keeping up with her.

"That, Pancake Child, is none of your business."

"OH! If it's about her and the other three, we know. Oh, we know."

Yang was taken aback at this. "Who told you!?"

"That would be Neptune," the orange haired woman said in a sing-song tone.

The blonde woman put her fist into her palm rather harshly. "Oh, he did, did he?"

"Yang, temper. You know better than that right now." Blake's chiding remark came from behind her book cover.

"Yeah, I know, but he... he promised. He swore nobody would hear it from him. That it was going to be on me to tell people, which is what I asked for."

"Nora," Blake interrupted the emotional blonde to seek some more information. "Did he tell you outright? Or were you eavesdropping?"

"She was outside of their door, with her ear practically glued to it," Ren answered for his other half, as she was trying to make a break for it, only to be caught by the collar by the martial artist.

"I had a feeling. Thank you, Ren."

"Don't mention it. How have things been with you? Is everything going all right? No issues?"

"None," the Faunus responded, "Well, save for being tired of feeling like I'm going to be sick all the time."

"Listen, Blake," Qrow interjected, stopping Ren in his tracks. "Not everybody reacts to... this type of thing the same way, you know? I remember when Raven was expecting Yang."

Yang moved in closer, the blonde woman still wanting to know more about her mother, despite having something to say to her that she knew wasn't exactly nice. "You do? Should I be scared?"

"Thankfully, you take after your father in the temper department, and Summer really rubbed off on you in that you have amazing temper control. Raven... well... she was... well... Let's just say she was almost unbearable."

Yang plopped down on the bench next to Blake, and rested her head on the Faunus' shoulder.

"You know, Uncle Qrow, I... I keep meaning to talk to mom about it, but I just... I just can't, you know?"

"I hear ya. Raven probably wouldn't take it too well."

"Why do you say that?"

"To be a little blunt, Blake, she and Taiyang weren't married when they discovered that Raven was pregnant. And it..."

He trailed off, the memories of how many times he had stepped in between his sister and friend, just to take her fist to his jaw because she was angry over something tiny.

"Raven never had the best impulse control, to be honest. Even growing up. We were fighting a lot, and I do mean a lot. I had hoped that her and your dad getting together would have calmed her a little, but it only served to make things worse once you were in the picture."

Yang hung her head a little at this information. Deep down, it confirmed what she had feared: That she hadn't been wanted by her mother, despite what her father kept saying all the years they had been growing up.

"So she never....?"

"Oh no. No no no. She did want you, she was just scared. See, we were fresh out of Beacon, and here she was, expecting a baby. None of us were prepared for that one, least of all her. She had made these plans while we were students, you see. Plans to see the world. To make a difference. And she was watching her world change before her eyes, day by day, week by week."

"Yeah, but dad never stopped Summer..."

"I know that. But she was worried that he'd want her to settle down while he had all the adventures. I guess it never sat right with her, so, once you were old enough, she left you with your dad and disappeared."

"So... she left because of her own plans?"

"Well, that's what she keeps telling me every time I ask." The alcoholic wasn't sure what else to say. He was seeing his older niece go through several emotions simultaneously. He knew it would pass, but he wasn't sure about Blake, having had no experience with Faunus during pregnancy. As a result, he stopped the moment the black haired woman helped Yang to her feet.

"I'm gonna take her back to our room now."

"Alright. Be careful. Both of you."

With a nod from them, the pair was off, joined by Ren and Nora, which left Qrow alone to think on the bench.

"Either way this goes, I'm amazed that she still gives a damn about you, Raven," he said, looking at the sky. "You sure did a number on her mind when you left, and for that, I can never forgive you."


	7. Questions II

"Are you serious!?"

The exclamation escaped Ruby's lips as she fell to the floor, he facial expression a mixture of confusion and shock. There was no way that the information Weiss has just given her was accurate. It just couldn't be. It would mean an end to everything that they have. After she had promised not to leave.

"When did he do this?"

Weiss sighed. She knew that her girlfriend was thinking the same thing that she was. Neither one of them wanted what they had to come to an end.

"After that last match, apparently. She was here to watch our matches, but she had to head back to Atlas. She's running things at the company until I decide to take it over."

The conversation was momentarily interrupted when Yang entered the room, a massive smile on her face.

"Heya, guys! You'll never guess what I just... heard...." the brawler looked back and forth at the other two occupants. "You know already, don't you?"

She then began to back away slowly. "I'll... I'll go elsewhere. You two need to be alone right now. I'll make sure to intercept Blake for you."

The blonde woman then left the couple alone. It was once she was in the hallway that she headed over and knocked on the door of the room Ren and Nora were sharing.

~The Previous Day~

"The winner is Team STRQ of Beacon!"

The arena sides dropped away as Qrow helped his opponents up.

"Pretty smart, Dante. Keep your semblance hidden until you absolutely need it."

"Not something I advertise, ya know?"

"And with good reason. You managed to destroy a part of my weapon, you know."

"I'll give you a hand with fixing it."

"Nah. I got it. But I do have one thing to do first."

Qrow then left his defeated opponents and his team as he walked away from the arena. He was on a mission. And it was one that he knew he had to do. And he had to do it now.

"Winter!"

The woman walking in the hall didn't stop.

"Schnee!"

Still no change.

"Hey! Ice Queen!"

This got her attention. She whipped around, completely ready to kill the person who called her by that nickname. It was when she saw the source of the voice that she softened a little.

"What have I told you about that, Qrow?"

"Yeah. I know. But I called out twice first."

She sighed a little. "What is it?"

The alcoholic strode confidently forward and took her hand in his. Immediately, the sweat began beading on his forehead.

"Look.... I... uh... I never thought I'd... well... I never thought I'd be in the situation, and I just..."

"Qrow?"

"...and I swore I wouldn't after seeing what happened with Tai and my sister, but dammit. I just can't go on like we are."

"Qrow?"

"And I know you have some meeting to go to, so I don't want to hold you long, but I just wanted to know if you'd ever... consider... maybe..."

"Qrow Branwen. Are you asking me to marry you?"

The scythe user fished an item from his pocket, and placed it in her palm.

"Yeah. I suppose I am. Whadda ya say?"

For once in her life, Winter was without the capability for rational thought and complete sentences. When she managed to spit one out, it was blunt, yet honest.

"Give me until after my meeting. I shall let you know my decision then."

The two parted ways, with Winter heading off to the docks for the airships, and Qrow heading towards the exit, which would take him to the courtyard.

~Present~

"And that's everything you know, Yang?"

"Yup. Same as you. I just don't get why Ruby and Weiss would be upset about it."

"Yang, have you forgotten that he is Ruby's uncle as well? And he did ask Weiss' sister to marry him. It would jeopardize their relationship if this happens."

Ren then leaned back in his seat, to give his answer some time to sink in. He knew exactly why Winter might be reluctant, as she was thrilled beyond comprehension to see her younger sister happy.

"So... what should I do?"

"You should take a nap, silly!"

"Nora, no. Naps are not always the answer." Ren then returned his attention to their blonde visitor. "I would try to get him to explain it to them. You know that there is enough space between him and Ruby that it isn't a problem from a biology standpoint. However, she still views him as her uncle, which is where the problem lies. If she can accept that both can happen at the same time, then there isn't going to be any sort of issue."

Yang rose to her feet.

"Where ya goin?"

"Off to find my uncle. And maybe my mother. I just can't live without having said a few things yet."

She left the room, closing the door behind her. She then headed to the stairwell, where she went to the corner and fell to the ground, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She hadn't ever considered that Qrow and Winter getting married would end what her sister and Weiss had going for them. She had been so caught up in her own problems that she had ignored it. And now it was catching up with her.

"Yang?"

"Not now."

"Yang?" The voice repeated, this time accompanied by a soft touch on her cheek.

She knew that hand. It was one of the many pleasures that she had come to know over the past few years. Slowly, she raised her head, her eyes meeting Blake's.

"Mind if I join you? I think you need the company."

"Uh-huh."

"What's going on?"

"Well... where to start? I mean there is the whole thing with me, you, Sun, and Neptune. Then there's the whole issue with Qrow and Ruby's other halves..."

"Just start at the beginning."

Back in the room, Ruby and Weiss were sitting in silence. They had moved to be next to each other, and were leaning against each other, their fingers overlapping, but not intertwining, as they had done in the past.

"If they do..."

"I don't want to stop, Weiss."

"Excuse me?"

"I... I won't stop, Weiss. I'll continue to love you."

"Ruby, it wouldn't look right to others. I mean, he's your uncle."

"I know that, and I just... I just..."

The younger woman started to attempt to hold back tears. This wasn't how she wanted the relationship to end. A part of her agreed with Weiss that it would be awkward to have two relationships in the same families. But the rest of her wanted to fight back. Wanted to be with Weiss. And that was the end that was slowly starting to lose.

She felt a cool trickle on her cheeks. She knew she was crying. And she knew it was childish. But she was watching one of the few things that she had in her life to make her happy being forcibly ripped away from her by societal norms. So, in her head, the tears were rational. It was her way of letting go of something that she couldn't have back.

Her eyes shot open as the tears were wiped away by a smooth gesture. The hand running across her cheek was warm and soft. She turned her head to face the source.

"Weiss?"

The younger Schnee had a determined expression on her face.

"If you're prepared to deal with the looks and everything should they get married," the heiress began, only to pause part way through. She knew what she was about to say was going to sound crazy, but she didn't care. She was going to do this. "Then I can do it, too."

"Weiss, what are you talking about?"

"Ruby," she said in a comforting tone, "you're right. It shouldn't matter that they are getting married. No matter what happens, I just have realized that I can't keep on without you."

"You mean that?"

"Of course. You were the one who got me to reconsider my opinions on Faunus..."

"That was Blake."

"You jump started it and let me rant to you while I did, though, so shush." She gave the younger woman a gentle thwack on the head, then continued. "You helped me to open up and realize that my father's ideals and policies weren't the do-all-end-all for how to do things."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying, Ruby Rose, is that I love you and won't trade you for the world."

She paused, unsure as to whether or not the statement went well, adding, "If that's okay with you."

There was a deafening silence in the room before she was tackled to the bed by her girlfriend.

"Ruby?"

"Can we just stay like this for now? Please?"

"Like this?"

"Mmhmm."

"Then can I at least take off my jacket? And you should take off your cloak. I have no issues cuddling like this, but the outermost layers have to go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for this being late. I ended up dealing with other items IRL, and forgot about posting on Thursday.


	8. Agreement

"It wasn't all your fault though."

Caos looked at her partner, who had his arms wrapped around his knees. He had been in a slightly depressed mood after their last match, and she was going to find out why.

"But it doesn't mean I didn't cause it."

The sword fighter's words echoed in the empty classroom, reverberating off the floor and walls. He was still carrying the blame around for all of it. And he wasn't about to let it all just go.

In the time since the incident, he had taken to setting the bar higher for himself, pushing himself to be better. He wasn't about to let anyone else suffer the same fate if he could help it.

"Dante...."

"Just leave me alone right now."

"Just... just don't try to shoulder this alone, okay? We all had a hand in it."

Caos turned and left, the jacket of her uniform leaving after she did, the bottom billowing out as she headed off to her lodging on the campus. Once she was out of sight, Dante lifted his head.

"I know that."

At the base of the building that used to house Ozpin's office, Ruby had run into her uncle. They turned to walk away and find another location to have their discussion, deciding that the middle of an off limits area wasn't the correct place. Once they reached one of the many side gardens, they sat down.

"'Sup, kiddo?"

"Did you even think about it?"

Ruby's question took the older man by surprise.

"Woah. What's this about?"

"You know what this is about." She had nearly shouted, her face giving away that she was still slightly upset.

"Oh. Yeah. That. Truth be told, we, that is, Winter and I, had discussed still being together, given you and Weiss being together and everything." He looked off to the side, the light highlighting a new feature: a thick, nasty looking bruise.

"What happened?"

"Your sister. That's what."

Ruby looked towards the ground. "Yeah. She does get a little protective of me..."

"You and your interests. She only landed the one punch."

"Then what happened?"

The alcoholic smirked. "Then Blake pulled her off of me. Gotta say it: you have the strangest friends. But they're good friends. The kind you keep."

"So... you mean we don't..."

"Have to split? Nah. I wouldn't worry about it. You two do your thing, we'll do ours. Same as always."

"Just promise me one thing, Uncle Qrow."

"What's that?"

"No stories about it," Ruby's last comment was made jokingly, but at the same time, there was a serious tone about it. The last thing she wanted to think about was her uncle doing anything of a sexual nature in a room near one she might be in with Weiss. She immediately blushed as her brain proceeded to wander towards a few less than innocent thoughts about her girlfriend that she had been having lately.

"You got it. Also, based on your face, you two haven't... you know."

"Uncle Qrow!!!!!!"

"Alright," he laughed. "I'm just messing with you a little."

Back at the guest lodging, Caos was sitting on her bed. She hadn't moved from that spot in a while, even when Lapis knocked and entered. The Faunus woman had merely looked at her, grabbed the book she had come in for, and left, deciding it was better to leave her leader and friend alone.

"He knows we're all at fault. None of us was completely blameless."

After what seemed like an eternity, she rose from her seat and headed to the door. Opening it, she encountered the very person she was going to see.

"Look, Caos... I..."

"Dante, it's not..."

"You first."  
"You first."

"Dante, I know you blame yourself. But I'm just saying that you really shouldn't be shouldering the blame alone."

"I know that. I just... I just wanted to go through and make it all right again, ya know?"

"Yeah. I know. Honestly, I think it hit Lapis harder than you or me. He was her boyfriend."

The male human shrank slightly at this. He remembered, in vivid detail, how she had changed after the events of that day. It was part of his motivation to not have something like that happen again.

"Big time. We should probably go find her. It's about that time of year again."


	9. Beginning Anew

"What do you mean she's gone again!?"

Yang was furious. Her mother had seemingly up and disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving her alone. Again. She probably wouldn't have been so angry if Raven hadn't decided to stick around longer than she usually did.

"All I know is that she took off in the middle of the night, and that is only from CCTV footage from the door. Sorry, kiddo."

Qrow was trying to calm his niece down. He knew she had a tendency to fly off the handle, and, from his dim memory of human biology, he knew that it was the last thing she needed at this point.

"But she... she..." The blonde was near the point of tears now. She dropped to her knees, her descent being slowed by her father, who caught her mid-motion.

"Shh.... It's alright. We'll get through it."

The blonde male then turned to his other daughter. "Ruby, can you take her back to your room? I need to talk to your uncle."

The younger woman nodded and led her sister off to her bed. Once they were out of sight, Taiyang turned to face his team mate.

"How long?"

"About 3 months now."

"And you didn't think that I needed to know this? I'm her father!"

"She said she'd tell you when she was damn good and ready!"

"Doesn't matter! She can't be in the field like this!"

"Tai..."

"No, Qrow. Don't you dare start to lecture me about this!"

"Tai, I know you're mad. I get it. But all we can do is wait this out."

Back in the dorms, Yang was curled up on Blake's bed, where the Faunus was gently rubbing her back.

"Was I not good enough for you again, mom?"

The words, while barely audible, were plainly heard by everybody in the room.

"Yang?"

"Hmm?" The response was muffled.

"Do you want us to leave you alone?"

"mmst nmt mke."

"Hmm?"

"Just not Blake."

Nodding at her team mates, Blake remained on the bed. Once the room was clear, the blonde rolled over.

"I'm not good enough, Blake."

"Yang, don't ever say that."

"Why not, though? Can't you see? I'm only good to her as long as I can fight Grimm and kill monsters."

"Yang, I don't think that..."

"She just wants a perfect little warrior, Blake.... And I... I...."

The tears came out full force, prompting the Faunus to pull her partner into her lap.

"It'll be okay. I'm not leaving. I'm not going to run."

"Promise."

Blake was slightly hurt by the words, but she understood where they came from. And now, she could see Yang's side of things extremely clearly. She had, admittedly, run away in the past, after promising not to. And she saw how it had hurt the blonde woman.

"I promise. No more running. We'll be in this for the long haul."

Yang sniffled slightly, but seemed to calm down a bit. "Can we just stay here?"

"Well, I was hoping to be horizontal, myself."

The blonde scooted over a little, in an effort to give her partner some space. Once the Faunus had reclined, she rolled over to face her.

"I just don't know, Blake. I just don't."

"Don't know what?"

"Will I even be a good mother? I mean, I want to be, but I just... I don't know."

Blake sighed. She knew that Yang's mother leaving again was hitting the brawler hard. So she went to the one avenue she knew she could take. "You said you knew Ruby's mom, right?"

"Well, yeah. Of course I knew Summer. Super-mom, remember?"

"Use her as an example. Besides, Yang?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not your mother."

Outside the room, Weiss and Ruby were having a discussion of their own.

"So she's scared that she'll make some mistakes?"

"Ayup. She's worried that she'll be just like her mother."

"Well, that isn't going to happen."

Ruby looked at her girlfriend with a puzzled expression adorning her face.. "Why do you say that?"

"Because she's family, Ruby."

"But Qrow and Winter aren't...."

"ap ap ap," Weiss shushed her partner. "She. Is. Family. That's all there is to it. True, there isn't a legal notation on it, but she is your sister, and I'd like to think she'd be willing to be my sister-in-law....."

Weiss' eyes shot wide at her statement. "I mean... uh..."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, Ruby Rose."

"Well, you're stuck with me, as well, Weiss Schnee."

Their moment was interrupted as Ren cleared his throat. "Is your sister going to be okay?"

Ruby sighed a little. "Mind if we come in? It's a long story."


	10. Messages

"Professor!?"

Ruby was searching all over campus for Dante, who was proving harder to find than Qrow when he didn't want to be located. She couldn't understand why he hadn't been in his class, instead, having been replaced by a man who looked very similar to him, just minus the scars.

Now, of course, she knew the nature of his job, but she has also gotten used to seeing the older hunter around the campus. It was only when she encountered Port that she asked what was going on.

"Dante? Hmm... Ah. You mean the members of Team C_LD! Why of course I know where they went!"

Ruby looked at him, expecting an answer with more anticipation than she had been capable of having for a while.

"They left early this morning for the glacial shelf in Atlas. Priority mission, according to them. Very hush-hush. Even I don't know why they were called out there, dear girl."

"Oh. I see. Thanks!"

She sped away as fast as her semblance would allow her. She wouldn't ever admit it, but the moustached professor weirded her out slightly. Deciding she was far enough from him, she slowed and made the turn that would take her towards their lodging.

Back in the dorms, Weiss and Yang were having a small disagreement.

"No way, Yang. Not with how you are right now!"

She was met by a severe glare from her team mate, who then shifted the glare to a male presence in the room. The taller individual backed up slightly at the eye contact.

"Yang, please don't. I'm only asking her to look out for you. You know that."

"I know, and I'm saying I don't need it, dad."

Taiyang looked at his older daughter, concern very evident on his face. Sighing, he relented and gave in to one thing.

"What do you want to know?"

Yang was slightly taken aback at this. She hadn't expected to be able to get her way with anything like that.

"I want to know what it was like. You know. When mom was..."

Sighing, the older man sat on the bed next to his daughter, and ran a hand through his hair, the action doing nothing to the mess.

"To be completely honest, it was hard, at first. We were literally just fresh out of Beacon, and then it happened. We weren't expecting it. The first few months went by, and it was during the middle of it that things started to go downhill. I don't know why. Something just changed in your mother."

"What... what do you mean?"

"I mean she wasn't... always..."

"She wasn't always heartless."

"Qrow!"

"Oh shush, Tai. You were gonna say it."

Wiess interrupted. "How did you get up here?"

"You guys really need to stop leaving that window open," the drunk said, answering quickly while returning his gaze to his team mate. "Seriously, Tai. This isn't something you should be discussing in the open like this."

"They all deserve to know, Qrow."

The scythe user relented, deciding to sit as he did. "Fine. Then just let me sit in here for a bit. I've got a few hours before my flight leaves."

Rolling his eyes slightly, Taiyang returned to his explanation. "Qrow's right. She wasn't always this heartless. Believe it or not, there was once a time when Raven would smile on a daily basis. Then, when she found out she was pregnant, it all changed. Not immediately, mind you. But it was noticeable. And, once it had happened, it was too late for any of us to change her mind."

"But why'd she leave? I... I didn't even get to talk to her about things."

The older brawler put his arm around his daughter, pulling her in closer. He hated to see her upset, and, right now, he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that she stayed happy.

"To be honest, I don't know. But I'd like to find out, too. Once everything is calmed down, we'll look for her. Together."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Up in Atlas, the members of Team C_LD were arriving on the glacier.

"Can't you drop us any closer!?"

"Negative! Technically, you aren't even supposed to be here. We were supposed to just meet our agent and extract him! But, he wasn't here two days ago, so the general is worried!"

"Lovely. You guys can't do your job, so you call us!" Dante's statement was not without merit. Too many times in the past, Atlas had come calling at Beacon for him to go on missions for them, with roughly 90% having involved aiding the military.

"Whatever. You guys ready?"

Both Lapis and Dante nodded.

"Good. Go in 3... 2... 1..."

The light on the bulkhead switched from red to green as the door on the side of the craft swung clear. The trio then made the quick drop from the deck to the ground, followed by their extra gear.

While they would have preferred to have traveled lighter, Ironwood had insisted that they allow for some added help, in the form of three M37A-V2, which were, supposedly, an improvement over the M37A models that had been seen going nuts during the Fall of Vale, along with extreme temperature survival gear. Lapis and Dante welcomed the second part, as their normal attire was not suited to the environment on the ice shelf.

The airship then sped off, leaving the three alone with their mechanical associates.

"I'll be honest, Caos, I'd much rather take their guns and have them carry the packs."

"You know they can do both, Dante."

Lapis started to giggle a little, prompting the two to face her.

"What is so funny?"

"I'm with him on this: What has you entertained?"

"You two are arguing like you're dating or something."

The two looked at each other before returning their attention to their team mate, their unison response simply serving to make her laugh a little more. "WE ARE NOT DATING!"

Back in Vale, the situation was infinitely calmer, and definitely warmer. The members of Team RWBY were relaxing in their beds. Ren and Nora were reading. Taiyang was hiding behind the mountain of paperwork that Glynda was adamant had to be filled out, and Qrow was headed towards the airship that would take him to Altas.

None of them knew it, but the next few months were going to be more stressful than any of the ones leading up to the reclamation of Beacon.


End file.
